Steel Player on Apartment #9

J W Hock · Post by **J W Hock** » 11 Jan 2002 6:32 am

I see where Bobby Austin has passed away.
Thinking back to the great hit "Apartment #9"
, I always wondered who did the steel work.
Fine , mid-sixties , west coast style.

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 11 Jan 2002 6:52 am

I always thought it was Lloyd Green, but on here a while back I think it was determined that Pete Drake did it. I think Mike Sweeney responded to that. Am I right, Mike?

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1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 11 Jan 2002 7:44 am

lloyd on Paycheck's version
Pete on Tammy's...

at least that's my understanding

Dave Robbins · Post by **Dave Robbins** » 11 Jan 2002 8:49 am

In a club setting, whenever someone would come in and want to sing Apartment #9, it is the Bobby Austin version that always comes to mind for me.I remember that version being played over and over on the radio when I was growing up. I know that Paycheck wrote it and Tammy had a huge hit with it, but for me, Bobby's version will always be number one! When it comes time to play a "turn-around" on this song I always play the Bobby Austin version, at least as close as I can.
Bobby Austin and Apartment #9 remains one of my very favorites to this day!

Dave [This message was edited by Dave Robbins on 11 January 2002 at 08:51 AM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 11 Jan 2002 9:00 am

Johnny Bush did a helluva good version, too!

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 11 Jan 2002 9:30 am

Jimmy Day is on the Bush version. Great phrasing!

Dave, I was under the impression Bobby Austin wrote that tune, though Paycheck was one of the first to cover it.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Mike Sweeney · Post by **Mike Sweeney** » 11 Jan 2002 9:45 am

Craig, I have no idea who played on the Bobby Austin record. If it was cut on the coast my GUESS would be Red Rhoads. I know he was the top session guy there back then. Mike

Fred Jack · Post by **Fred Jack** » 11 Jan 2002 10:19 am

Ralph mooney

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 11 Jan 2002 10:32 am

Charleton played a great solo on ET's cut. That's the one I try to play.

C#

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 11 Jan 2002 12:00 pm

Mike I misread the original post. I thought it was about Tammy's version. I thought you had posted about it. Maybe I guess you didn't . Anyway, later it hits me we are talking about Bobby Austin's version. See what happens when a guy tries to help. Oh well, did Pete play on Tammys version? I know Lloyd played on Paychecks on the Little Darlin' label. Sorry for the confusion.

Edited cause Lloyd starts with a BIG "L"

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1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

[This message was edited by Craig A Davidson on 11 January 2002 at 12:01 PM.]

B Bailey Brown · Post by **B Bailey Brown** » 11 Jan 2002 12:57 pm

Herb,

According to Paycheck’s own “The Real Mr. Heartache” CD, it was co-written By Paycheck and Bobby Austin. Personally, I have no idea. As far as I know, Bobby Austin was always a west coast artist, so I would suspect that it was one of the “west coast” steel players that did the cut.

Frankly, I don’t even remember Bobby Austin’s version of “Apt. #9”. I guess it never got played down here in Texas, although most of the rest of his stuff did, so maybe I just missed it! I was always, and still am, a big Bobby Austin fan and I am sorry to hear that he passed away. He was one of the good ones!!

B. Bailey Brown

Rick Jackson · Post by **Rick Jackson** » 11 Jan 2002 1:01 pm

It sure sounded like Ralph Mooney to me...rj

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If I could only play like Ralph Mooney and sing like Justin Trevino....

J W Hock · Post by **J W Hock** » 11 Jan 2002 1:35 pm

Bobby Austin's version was THE big hit in
Houston. The year was 67 I think .[This message was edited by J W Hock on 11 January 2002 at 01:36 PM.]

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 11 Jan 2002 2:36 pm

The original Bobby Austin single release on Tally 500 lists composers as "Johnny Paycheck, Fern Foley, Fuzzy Owen".

I think this has been hashed out before, but as i recall it, Austin wrote it all except for one line by Paycheck, but gave Paycheck co-credit. Austin used his wife's maiden name (Fern Foley) instead of his own for reasons unknown. Fuzzy Owen produced it and published it (Owen Publishing Co., BMI) which probably explains how he got his name on the original single.

Mooney wrote the flip side "Gone Home to Mama", so i would guess he was on the session. Haven't played it in a long time, but I am about to go on a Bobby Austin jag.

[This message was edited by Mitch Drumm on 11 January 2002 at 02:38 PM.][This message was edited by Mitch Drumm on 11 January 2002 at 02:39 PM.]

Jack Shrader Sr · Post by **Jack Shrader Sr** » 11 Jan 2002 7:01 pm

Where can I get a copy of Bobby Austin's apartment #9 Jack

Fred Jack · Post by **Fred Jack** » 11 Jan 2002 7:41 pm

Mitch, you got it right... Also it is a Capital Album ST 2773 ... I'm not positive that it is all Moon as I think I hear chromatic on 1-2 tunes.. also a couple sounds pretty thin.. not picked as the Moon..
he said he would listen tonite and see what he thinks...regards.. fred

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 12 Jan 2002 3:21 am

If you can just put a clip of the steel part from the Bobby Austin Version up here....I'll tell ya who the steel player is........Or at least I can tell you for sure if it was Mooney or not.
Hello......Loessberg.....you out there pal???.....Jim would know for sure and not guess or think or be pretty sure...
Ricky

norm mcdaniel · Post by **norm mcdaniel** » 12 Jan 2002 5:23 am

I ask Ralph a few years ago about that song with Bobby Austin and he said that he had done the steel work. Boy did I like that version
Thanks Ralph.
Norm Mcdaniel
Waco tx

Fred Jack · Post by **Fred Jack** » 12 Jan 2002 5:43 am

There is no question about Moon doing Apartment # 9.. he did it. fred

Fred Jack · Post by **Fred Jack** » 12 Jan 2002 5:47 am

Ricky... I wish I knew how to put this on airwave.. I probably have all the equipment I just don't know how to do it.. fred

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 12 Jan 2002 6:42 am

In about '68 or '69 I was doing the Sunday thing at a club in Southgate Calif. called "Walt's Club". We had guest artists and on one Sunday we had Bobby Austin. He brought Ralph Mooney along with him which was a treat for me as I got to play guitar. Bobby said when he did Apt.#9 "I'm glad to have the man who played steel on my record with me today". I also have the Capitol album from which the song came and there's nothing on it which sounds chromatic as someone said. It's all Fender 1000 playing. As I said before in another post a while back, Ralph was using an amp which Fender had made especially for him. The cabinet was a Super Reverb size which usually has 4 10" speakers in it. This one had a black face plate which said "Fender Showman" on it and it had a 15" JBL speaker in the thing. Fender never marketed this amp but I think it really would have been a hit with a lot of other steel players. I think this is probably the amp Ralph used on the Apt.#9 session. Ralph was also using a Wah Wah pedal at that time.

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

Fred Jack · Post by **Fred Jack** » 12 Jan 2002 8:46 am

Jerry, Right you are..I said I thought I heard a chromatic.. ain't the first time I been wrong... I just talked to the Moon and he remembers Walts Club ... he also said he cut every one of the songs on the album... Bobby A. was a very dear friend of the Moon's.. he'll be missed a lot .. I mentioned to Moon how young Bobby looked on the album cover and he agreed and added that Bobby had kidney problems even then. S'nuff said, regards fred

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 12 Jan 2002 12:58 pm

Well there ya have it....Good going guys.
Ricky

J W Hock · Post by **J W Hock** » 15 Jan 2002 6:14 am

Bobby Austin's version of "Apartment #9"
can be found on a 1999 CD called SWING WEST-
VOL. I - BAKERSFIELD by Razor and Tie .
Its a great collection of cuts spanning
the west coast scene from 1955 to 1970.
Highly recommended .

Lem Smith · Post by **Lem Smith** » 15 Jan 2002 4:17 pm

You can listen to Bobby's version of Apartment #9 online, on the album JW mentioned, thanks to Yahoo. Here's the link:

http://www.broadcast.com/Music/CD_Jukebox/Country/wp_v.html

Good stuff, indeed!

Lem